Jamie Carragher worries that this Liverpool team are ‘morphing’ in the same way Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side did. History surely can’t repeat itself.
Jamie Carragher watched Liverpool lost 3-1 at Brentford last night and came away with a worry. He’s seen this before, he believes, as someone who played against Arsene Wenger’s great Arsenal sides.
“When I watch Liverpool now, and particularly in midfield, it feels like Jurgen Klopp’s team is morphing into something else – a technical team,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“The only team it reminds me of is when I used to play against Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. Yes, they were a great footballing team but their actual pace and physicality, teams couldn’t cope with.
“Then that team morphed into something technical and they never won again.”
Liverpool ‘morphing’ into Arsenal
We can see the concern. This Liverpool side aren’t as pragmatic and solid as Klopp’s previous great side. That does largely mean the midfield isn’t up to scratch.
Liverpool used to get a lot of stick for their midfield not being technically good enough. Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum were see as uncreative, mechanical midfielders who didn’t influence the game going forward.
And that was correct, too. It just wasn’t the negative thing that many believed it to be. Liverpool had a midfield that could shift their playing style mid-game without any changes. They were all adept at passing the ball, could all win midfield battles, and all had the work-rate to press hard and cover spaces.
That kept the Liverpool side ticking, essentially. Now it doesn’t seem to work and the side does look lightweight in much the same way Arsenal used to. That’s a real concern.
But it’s not easy to change. Liverpool got away without a creative midfielder because Roberto Firmino played as a False 9. He was the player who linked midfield to attack. Without him there – and with a more traditional striker – that link needs to come from midfield, which is why Klopp picks Harvey Elliott so often.
That then comes at the cost of a ‘weaker’ midfield and the Reds are struggling to adapt. How do you fix that? Honestly, we have no idea. There are a lot of moving parts here and Klopp has an incredibly difficult job on his hands.
2023 will be a year of change, though – so let’s hope the answer presents itself.
Source: rousingthekop.com
